It’s that time again. Don’t feel too bad if you decide not to click on that Paypal “donate” button (hint hint: it’s on the right sidebar, above the Amazon widget, which is also a handy and helpful gadget to use). … Continue reading →
Qaddafi does. And he’s making sure that Libya remembers him. Is the fact that Qaddafi is successfully fighting the rebels any sort of surprise? It shouldn’t be. Nothing fundamental has changed in Libya since I wrote this three weeks ago: … Continue reading →
Those cruel and racist Republicans have introduced a bill to declare English the official language of the US and to require a basic knowledge of it in order to become a citizen (although there would be some exceptions for unusual … Continue reading →
I’m not a scientist, but this article by William Tucker in the WSJ seems to make a great deal of sense and is worth quoting at length. The gist of it is that Fukushima Daiichi ain’t Chernobyl. Nor is it … Continue reading →
There’s the quake, and then there’s the aftermath. Sometimes, as in Japan today, the latter is worse than the former. Not that the former wasn’t really really bad. It was, and it lasted for over two minutes. I’ve been in … Continue reading →
The scenes on the television are surreal. Buildings and cars and trains and boats tossed around and floating in water like so many discarded toys in a flooded garbage dump. Fire. And now, a potential (or already partial) nuclear meltdown. … Continue reading →
I believe I have done a great service to the world in unearthing the provenance of Mel Brooks’ immortal “Guten Tag Hop Clop” from the musical version of “The Producers.” You may have thought it was merely a ridiculous German … Continue reading →
The terrible earthquake and tsunami last night in Japan recalls the fact that tsunami is a Japanese word: The term “Tsunami” comes from the Japanese word for harbor (tsu) and wave (nami). The origins of the word are not surprising … Continue reading →
…which we were the other day, in the comments section on this thread in which I’d said I couldn’t stand the sport—caused me to recall the single worst moment of boxing history I’ve ever had the misfortune to witness. It … Continue reading →
The bill that restricts collective bargaining for public service unions has been passed in the Wisconsin Senate and the protesters were carried out of the capital building by Madison police, while Wisconsin Republicans receive death threats and there are rumblings … Continue reading →
Ten years ago, shortly after 9/11, I would have been surprised at the furor over Rep. Peter King’s daring to suggest a House hearing on homegrown terrorism that focuses mostly on Islamicist terrorist groups in this country. But not any … Continue reading →
…and the tally was 18-1 in favor of limiting the collective bargaining rights of public service workers. And isn’t this statement by Democrat Sen. Bob Jauch the very definition of chutzpah? He said that if Republicans “chose to ram this … Continue reading →